A WOMAN from Halliwell has been fined after a sofa was found dumped in the street at the back of her house.

Bolton Council officers were called out to Duxbury Street on April 9 after reports that the sofa was lying at the back of the house.

Denisa Srponova denied that the sofa was hers but council officers found two letters relating to her in a pile of rubbish nearby.

At Bolton Magistrates' Court on Monday, August 17, she was convicted of fly-tipping and ordered to pay more than £500 in costs.

Cllr Nick Peel, cabinet member for the environment, described her actions as "selfish" and said the conviction showed the council is catching up with fly-tippers.

After quizzing Denisa Srponova, the tenant, about it, they spied a large quantity of rubbish lined up against the gable end of a property across the road.

Contained in the huge pile was a mattress, several cardboard boxes and a few black bin bags.

Srponova denied the sofa was hers, despite officers examining the waste and finding two letters relating to her.

The 28-year-old was cautioned by the enforcement officer, who then showed her the evidence recovered from the rubbish.

She claimed she had put one bag out for the council to collect but that the rest was not hers.

Despite being issued with a fixed penalty notice, and signing it, it had not been paid by the time council officers checked their database on June 29, prompting them to take her to court.

Srponova was fined £200 and asked to pay £385 in costs, while the rubbish was collected by Bolton Council's cleansing department at the time.

Cllr Nick Peel, cabinet member for the environment, said: "Our officers are out and about in the streets every day and neighbours ring us on a daily basis.

"Increasingly we are finding evidence to track the people responsible down.

"They will be issued with a fixed penalty notice or taken to court.

"The message has to get out to people that this is unacceptable. There is never a reason to leave rubbish outside other people's houses.

"We will catch you and make sure you face the consequences.

"It is selfish and shows a lack of consideration for your neighbours."